Kara stood up a few hours later and walked to the freezer… cold room. She wasn't a fool, she had felt the urgency in Reginald's voice. Uncle Regi.. the urge to call him that worried her. The unknown worried her. Taking a deep breath, she walked into the cold room.
At first, she felt the cold like a blizzard hitting her bones directly. She closed the door and moved to the center of the room. She stared at her reflection on the stainless steel tray propped up.
"Done being a coward?" Her reflection said to her.
"Hello Hera." She said to it calmly.
Her reflection chuckled. "Oh no darling, I'm you."
Kara felt herself fall but didn't feel herself hit the floor. She opened her eyes with a gasp and found herself in a living room.
"Can't you imagine me in something other than this horrid white gown? It doesn't exactly represent good memories."
Kara turned to the voice with a frown. "Hera?"
"Yes sister, we finally meet." The black haired smiled at her.
"Your hair…"
"It's black. That's what happens to Devilles that die with total resentment in their hearts. Learn from me, die with happy thoughts." Hera said jokingly, sadness dripping from her voice.
Kara rubbed her temple and looked around.
"Where is here?"
"Your mind house."
It looked like the orphanage. She half expected to find Miss Humphrey rocking in a chair at a corner and the kids playing on the floor.
"It looks like the only home you've ever known uh." Another voice came from the top of the stairs. "Hello me."
Kara felt chills. With Hera, she knew it wasn't her. But staring at the white haired girl on top of the stairs made her feel… off.
"I'm the you you don't want to be." The white haired chuckled.
"Explain better."
"Bossy much. Oh come on Kara, stop playing dumb. I'm the part of you that has always known we were special. The you that accepted all of this so easily, the you that feels all the emotions you avoid. The you that can freeze up this entire school if the right buttons are pushed. I'm the Deville you." The girl came down the stairs slowly.
Kara narrowed her eyes and turned to Hera who shrugged.
"I'm just another soul occupying your mind. You should likely talk to her." Hera said before sitting on a nearby couch.
Kara turned back to the girl that was supposedly her. She felt breathless looking at her. Slightly afraid.
"Do you know the funniest thing?" The girl stood in front of Kara and folded her arms. "People think it's been Hera coming out and throwing a little fit. They don't know that you, Kara Deville Cahill, is the master manipulator."
"What are you talking about?"
"She's telling you that the person the others have been seeing is not me. It's you. You convinced yourself that it's Hera and so you convinced them." Hera answered softly.
"Yet she is the one with the black hair." The white haired mocked.
It was getting harder to breathe. Her hand went to her chest and she clutched it.
"There you go having a panic attack. You'll rewrite your memory and convince yourself this never happened. But know this dear me, the more you become one with the ice, the more you and I become one and the same."
Kara opened her eyes, she was on her bed. Again. She wasn't surprised to find Ryker there.
"I don't need you to keep acting like a knight to my damsel in distress, I can take care of myself." She glared at him, getting angry for reasons she couldn't pinpoint.
He said nothing and gave her a bowl of warm milk. She looked from him to the bowl and then sighed.
"There's a storm coming, it has always been coming but this time... This time it is close. I need to be prepared. I don't need romance or or-" She heard herself telling him.
"You need a friend. That is why I'm here. I'm not asking you to marry me and continue our bloodline Kara." Ryker laughed as she cringed. "I can't imagine it is nice being alone. I'm not going to pressure you, I won't even say the word 'mate'."
She felt herself blushing and cleared her throat in embarassment.
"Fine." She cracked her brain for what to say. "I heard the students talking about riots in the realms. Is that still ongoing?"
He rubbed his eyes and at that moment, he looked tired and older. Like he had a lot on his shoulder, it made her feel bad. Maybe he needed a friend also.
"It is worse. People are taking sides and destroying things. The balance has been tampered with."
"Don't the Sisters keep the balance?"
Ryker twisted the ring on his index finger. It had an emblem, a family emblem. A Griffin. Kara frowned.
"It seems they only do that when it suits them. This war... I have reason to think that some of them are behind it. Claiming it is all because of the reincarnated Deville. It won't be long before they come storming to the school demanding your head."
Kara blinked in shock. "Well, this conversation just took a dark turn."
Ryker stood up. "I'm sorry but I want you to understand the way things are. The elementals have taken a stand and they've managed to convince the wolves. You need to be prepared, you might have to fight those closest to you in other to survive."
"Great! Darker turn." Kara laughed bitterly. "What are they so afraid of?"
"The power Hera possesses. Kara, she can bring back the dead. Considering she was murdered by the ones she trusted, she's not exactly going to be in the best of moods."
"So what? They think killing me will kill her?" She didn't know how to feel. Should she be afraid?
Ryker clenched his jaw before speaking. "Not on my watch. We'll seperate you two. Hera's body surprisingly stayed the same. I'll remove her soul into her body."
"You will?"
"Only I can." His eyes held determination. Failure wasn't an option.
"What happens after? Will they just leave me alone?"
He was silent.
"You plan to abandon her. Feed her to the wolves? Or in this case, the Elementals also?" Kara realised in shock.
Ryker's stance didn't change. "You are my only concern."
"And everyone else be damned." She glared at him.
They glared at each other for some minutes. The room got chilly and when he looked away, he noticed the windows getting frozen.
He finally sighed. "You have to understand Kara. Once everyone out there discovers who you are, who you have inside you or with you, they will come for you. As we speak, the Factions are gathering. Do you know what they consist of? Rogue shadows. You'll have a bounty on your head."
"I'm your mate right. How will you feel if I was killed?"
His expression turned deadly.
"That is out of question."
"Devilles do not abandon each other. I'm not going to do to her what they did to her. There are different ways to kill people, stabbing them with a dagger is not the only way."